Army chief kicks off farewell visits

Army chief General Raheel Sharif began his farewell visits on Monday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The army chief who is set to retire this month, kicked off his farewell visits and addresses from Lahore. He is expected to visit Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar soon.

I don’t believe in extension and will retire on due date: army chief

During his visit to Lahore, General Raheel addressed a gathering of Army and Rangers personnel.

#COAS kicks off his farewell visits beginning from Lhr today.Meets,addresses,thanks huge gathering of soldiers of Army&Rangers at Garrison-1

— Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) November 21, 2016

“Accomplishing peace and stability has been no ordinary task. Our sacrifices and joint national resolve helped us off setting all odds against the country,” General Raheel said during his address.

Accomplishment of peace&stability no ordinary task.Our sacrifices&joint national resolve helped us in off setting all odds against country-2 pic.twitter.com/yYak27TU98

— Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) November 21, 2016

Gen Raheel was appointed as the country’s 15th army chief on November 29, 2013. He is scheduled to relinquish his office on November 29 this year.

In January, the Pakistan Army rubbished reports that the army chief would seek to extend his tenure from three to four years. “Speculations about extension in service of COAS are baseless,” the ISPR Director General Lt-General Asim Saleem Bajwa said in a Twitter message. While quoting the army chief, ISPR said national interest is supreme and will be safeguarded at all costs.

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Further, the Islamabad High Court dismissed in October a petition seeking to elevate the current Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to the rank of field marshal.

Justice Aamer Farooq stated that the petitioner’s contention regarding the elevation to the post of field marshal” falls within the domain of the legislature and no direction can 144% be issued to the legislator to this effect”.